visa free

[red]

I thought I would share this here. It is a good news i read on yahoo this morning.


The Philippines is extending a warmer welcome to citizens of 151 countries by allowing them to stay in the country visa-free longer.

Starting Aug. 1, 2013, nationals from countries with visa-free privilege may stay for 30 days in the Philippines, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Monday.

The visa-free stay is an extension of the previous period of only 21 days.

The new policy is in line with government goals of boosting tourism and attracting more foreign investments in various areas in the Philippines.

Under the new scheme, qualified foreign nationals only need to present a passport valid for at least six months beyond their planned stay and an outbound ticket.

“This move will hopefully encourage more tourists and investors to visit and stay in the Philippines by removing the need for them to report to immigration offices for a stay of up to a month,” Assistant Secretary of Consular Affairs Jaime Victor Ledda said.

“It will also give them more flexibility in planning and managing their schedules,” he added.

[red]

One more good thing is that forex rate in PH 43Php for 1USD

[Chas]

Good news. Though I think my next trip might be to the USA to see a Shay steam locomotive working.

[Edwin]

Red, thank u for bringing this information to our attention. That is great news, 30 days instead of 21 days, and then extend it from there! That makes good sense to encourage people to come stay and visit! I also like the exchange rate, to get many pesos for the dollar!

[red]

I wish it will be higher than that though like before 50+ pesos... but 43 is better than 40 he he...Still grateful.

[Edwin]

Yes, like you said, Red, 50 would be better, but we are thankful for 43. 21 days doesn't seem like it is long enough even for a causual visit, and now we can stay 30 days, and that is better!, more than a week more. That makes it so you don't have to say goodbye almost before you get there!

[red]

Yes, like you said, Red, 50 would be better, but we are thankful for 43. 21 days doesn't seem like it is long enough even for a causual visit, and now we can stay 30 days, and that is better!, more than a week more. That makes it so you don't have to say goodbye almost before you get there!

I agree...21 days is like days of traveling. I am really happy for this because it will benefit a lot for my husband. Me and my daughters can stay for as long as we want but then vacation leave is limited. One thing that my girls make willing them to stay in Philippines is the beach and the love of the family and friends and malls and our church there. They can play outside the church with other kids unlike here they have to stay inside with us and sit til service is over.
One thing i wish for is for the airfare to go low low low low...

[Edwin]

Yes, Red, I am happy with you and your husband about this! That is an extra 9 days, and that is nice. When I went to the Philippines in year 2010 we spent 14 days, and another week would have been great, and then 30 days would have been super! My time was open ended. I could have gone anytime I wanted, and returned any time I wanted, but my friends were locked into a 2 weeks vacation, so that was the way it was, and that was okay. Since I am retired, the next time I go, I would like to stay as long as possible! I was with good people, my friends, and their families were the best kind of people, so it was a great experience! I am still enjoying thinking about those 14 days that I was in the Philippines, and I even enjoyed all the flights both ways. It is kind of funny, because within the last few months both airplanes, exactly like the ones I flew on, and the same airlines had crashes! Cebu Airlines' crash totaled that huge airplane, but no one was hurt, just scared to death. I think there have been 3 fatalities on the Asiana Airlines Airplane landing at the San Fransisco Airport.

"beach and the love of the family and friends and malls and our church," and those are wonderful reasons to want to be in the Philippines! That is nice for you and your kids that they can play with the other kids, safely, outside the church. It is hard for little people to sit still very long! Red, I will agree with you on cheaper airfares. They are too expensive! Being retired, and having lots of time, I think if I were going to fly to the Philippines, I would take my time, and get a good deal. Often when you are locked into certain dates you have limited options, and you end up having to pay more to go on the dates you need to. When I went with my friends in 2010, they knew they were going before I did, and by the time I found out they were going and wanted me to go with them, my ticket cost $100.00 more than theirs' did, because they bought early, and I bought later, and not much later either!

[tom]

Good news. Though I think my next trip might be to the USA to see a Shay steam locomotive working.

hi Chas,

you've probably already done your diligent research about where to see the Shays, but i thought i'd let know that my friend (who is very much into trains) is of the opinion that the best place to see (and, i assume ride) a Shay is in Cass,West Virginia...

he also strongly suggested that i should encourage you to visit Colorado (while you're here in the USA) and ride the Mikado... i think he called it the "Durango and Silverton" (?)

he said there are no words to describe the scenery he saw as he rode the Mikado through the mountains...

he also talked excitedly about the Mikado's (unique?) design... 3-foot gauge, etc. ... but, you probably already know all about that, and i'm not the best person to try to explain it...

[Chas]

Thanks for the info Tom. I had heard Cass was good and I have watched videos of it on Youtube.

A Mikado is so called because of its wheel arrangement 2-8-2 (one axle unpowered, 4 powered axles coupled together, one axle unpowered). I would like to see and travel on the Durango and Silvertown. There is another steam railway out that way, though it's name escapes me at the moment. So much to see around the world and not enough time and money I also fancy going coast to coast across the USA or Canada by train, or at least Chicago to the West Coast.

In September I am giving a talk to the local model engineering club about the Philippine sugar cane railways on Negros. I hate public speaking and I was never very good at it at work, hopefully my enthusiasm for the subject and the photographs will carry me through the ordeal.